MLB The Show 18: Taking baby steps toward greatness

It's often difficult to measure how much a video game franchise changes on a year-to-year basis. Improvements are usually incremental, tiny tweaks to address specific issues instead of a top-to-bottom overhaul. If it ain't broke, etc.

It's a precarious position, especially in a world where there is only one football game (Madden), one hockey game (EA Sports' NHL series), and one baseball game (The Show). While each franchise has essentially cornered the market on their specific sport, the question is raised every year: is it different enough to warrant an upgrade? The hardcore fan will probably be locked in even if the game is nothing more than a glorified roster update, but more casual fans may balk unless it's a demonstrably superior game.

MLB The Show 18 was never going to be a bad installment. The game engine, the interface, and the overall gameplay has been solid since day one. As such, the new edition is very familiar, but depending on what kind of a gamer you are, it could be worth picking up. We'll look at the three primary game modes and what they have to offer to determine whether it's worth your time. Keep in mind this is very much a "first impressions" type of review, as it took until autumn to properly assess the full spectrum of last year's game.

Road to the Show is in the best shape of its life

Road to the Show is the mode that announced The Show's arrival. You create a baseball player, choose his position, and play his entire career from pre-draft to Double-A and onward to the big leagues. The 2017 edition saw an expansion in its presentation while bringing more RPG elements to the game - interactions with agents and coaches in cut-scenes, for example - but it felt rushed and repetitive.

Here's where the incremental change comes in. In the 2018 game, there is more variety - there will always be some repetition, as there are a finite amount of outcomes - and the voice-over is something in the mold of Sam Elliott talking about trucks. It has gravitas. It's not perfect, as you often have the illusion of choice. One scenario invariably arises when a Double-A manager informs you that you're moving to a late-inning relief role despite a sparkling 1.35 ERA, and if you argue the decision, you'll get benched. The change feels arbitrary and not reflective of performance, and it actually causes problems due to one of the new additions: player archetypes.

After creating your player, you get to choose an archetype that has strengths and weaknesses. You can build a hitter with extreme power and poor speed ("The Powerhouse") or a defense-first speed demon ("Ball Hawk") among others. Likewise, pitchers can focus on sheer force ("Flame Thrower") or craft and guile ("Plain Filthy"). But, this becomes an issue when you are given caps on certain performance categories. If your manager decides your closer is suddenly a starting pitcher, you may not be able to build enough stamina to be all that effective.

That said, the archetypes are a welcome change, and the game is better for it. It's a new wrinkle to a game mode that hadn't seen enough tweaks over the years, and it actually helps take the step toward a truly immersive experience. It's also further enhanced by the new progression and training system. In previous years, you had to apply training points to your skills or you risk regression at arbitrary intervals (this made it almost impossible to create an effective reliever as you never accrued enough points to buoy your skills). This arcane method has been replaced by something far simpler. You do well, your skills improve. You do poorly and you regress.

Additionally, the training has you choose what area of your game you want to focus on. This is where you see your improvements without constantly needing to do the same, grinding mini-modes. While Road to the Show doesn't look completely different, and on the surface, it is mostly the mode it's always been, the little changes make a world of difference, and it's evident this is the best version of RTTS the franchise has ever put out.

Franchise Mode swings and misses

If you prefer to oversee an entire team (or teams) instead of an individual player, Franchise Mode is probably your jam. Every sports game over the last two decades has featured variations of this theme where you play through seasons, manage a roster, and pursue championships. One very immersive way of playing is by selecting every team in the league to control, though this is extremely time consuming.

And you never actually have to play a game. It's the console equivalent of Out of the Park Baseball (a baseball simulation game that focuses on roster construction and front office moves).

It's also the mode that feels like it got the least amount of attention. Basically, if you played a lot of Franchise Mode in the past, you'll probably do the same and it will be familiar. The season is broken up into phases from early season, to draft, to trade deadline, to September call-ups, but it really doesn't impact the flow. And good luck if you decide to run the gauntlet of controlling every team in the league, because ensuring every team has a valid roster becomes a daily exercise in tedium.

Franchise Mode is still fairly customizable, and you can automate almost everything to the point where you're more of a disembodied observer than an active participant, but it also comes off like it's the least important game mode. With the excision of the online version, it also seems like it could be on its way out. Even though I'm not inclined to play Franchise over Road to the Show or Diamond Dynasty, it's still an important option and shouldn't fall by the wayside.

This was the time to introduce more options to offset the loss of online. Other sports games give the gamer the ability to enter expansion, relocate teams, and build stadiums. To not join the fray makes MLB The Show 18 feel woefully behind the times in this one regard. Sure, you can introduce legend free agents to your franchise, but why not go the extra mile and allow you to move the Oakland Athletics to Mexico City or Chattanooga, Tennessee? Let me bring back the Montreal Expos in a proper stadium!

Unfortunately, Franchise Mode feels more like an afterthought.

Diamond Dynasty is almost too big for its own good

Diamond Dynasty is on the verge of becoming the cornerstone of MLB The Show. I missed the early iterations of this game mode, and the 2017 version wound up being my introduction. It was an addictive experience.

For the uninitiated, Diamond Dynasty has you collect virtual baseball cards. If you have a player's card, you can put him in your lineup and use him to your heart's content. Each card has a designation and rating, from diamond (the top level) to common (the bottom). You're not limited to active players, either. Through playing the various game modes within DD (online and offline), you can complete missions and earn more cards to bolster your lineup, including legends and specialty versions of current stars.

It's an exciting addition that is a completely different way of playing. This kind of high-fantasy approach provides just the right amount of added depth to a game that already had it in spades.

And it's grown almost out of control. This year's mode is almost too large to be easily navigated, at least from the outset. There is a long list of programs and missions available right off the bat, which are connected to live players and legends of old. For example, there is a program centered around catcher Derek Norris that requires you to accumulate stats with the live-series card of that player. This year also features a lot of crossover. There is a career-progression program on Chase Utley that requires you to complete aspects of other programs to see it to completion.

It's daunting, perhaps too much so for those unfamiliar with the game. In MLB The Show 17, everything was organized fairly clearly to monitor progression and the missions that were underway. Each micro-mode (Battle Royale, Ranked Seasons, Conquest, etc.) had its own set of rewards based on milestone achievements. This appears largely eschewed in favor of player-centric missions.

There's no question that Diamond Dynasty offers even more, in terms of volume, than it did a year ago, which should come as music to the ears of seasoned vets. Even with the handy walkthrough video, however, it may not be accessible enough for those trying it out for the first time, giving it an all too exclusive feeling. It's still a thrill to design your uniforms and slot Babe Ruth in a lineup next to Larry Doby and Aaron Judge, though.

Diamond Dynasty will also see constant updates throughout the season with thematic missions and events based on things happening in baseball. While RTTS and Franchise mode are mostly static, Diamond Dynasty is more alive and fluid. Good luck finishing everything in time for next year.

Initial Verdict

MLB The Show 18 is a predictably solid entry to one of the best video game franchises of the last 20 years. They've set the bar so high that being a tremendous player can feel initially underwhelming. With last year's game, Diamond Dynasty commanded attention away from legacy modes, but the tide may be shifting slightly back.

The actual gameplay is crisper than ever, and the animations have been expanded to provide a more nuanced experience that feels like an actual baseball game. Pitching is still easier to get a handle on than hitting (I can spin gems on All-Star pitching difficulty while I struggle to hit consistently on Rookie). Also, a big shout out to Mark DeRosa, who joins the commentary team alongside Matt Vasgersian and Dan Plesac. His enthusiasm and generally casual cadence is a welcome addition.

The changes to Road to the Show are perfect even if they aren't substantial. It's proof that you only need to move the needle slightly to hit the mark on occasion. Diamond Dynasty is more ambitious than ever, and it will be rewarding for those who stick with it, even if its learning curve is a little steeper. It's worth a spin if you're a hardcore fan of the series or if you've waited a year or two between editions.

(Photos courtesy: Sony Interactive Entertainment)